A CONSTRUCTION worker who died after being hit by a taxi in Shepperton has been described as “an honest guy” by his family.

Mark Breslin was struck by a Renault Megane as he was crossing Upper Halliford Road in the early hours of January 18, having spent the evening drinking in the Bugle Returns pub.

An inquest into Mr Breslin’s death at Woking Coroner’s Court on Wednesday heard that it was raining heavily when the victim left the pub at around 12.30am and headed towards his home in Cox’s Avenue, just a few minutes away.

Taxi driver Russell Holman, who was driving from Sunbury to pick up a fare in Shepperton, said he didn’t see Mr Breslin in the road until it was too late.

“All of a sudden there was a very dark image on the left front side of my car, and a split second later the windscreen came in and the collision took place," he said.

“I knew I had hit someone, but at that point I had no idea who, what or how.”

The court heard that Mr Breslin was thrown into the air and landed on the pavement. Mr Holman called the emergency services but Mr Breslin was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered a fractured skull and a brain haemorrhage.

The inquest also heard from PC Robert Luck of Surrey Police’s collision investigation unit, who attended the scene shortly after the crash.

“The road surface was very wet and at the time of the collision there was very heavy rain,” he said.

He added that Mr Breslin may have crossed the road diagonally so he would have had his back towards Mr Holman's car.

“There was no evidence of excess speed from Mr Holman,” he said.

Speaking after the hearing, the victim’s brother, Robert Breslin, said Mark was missed by many people.

“He was just a lovely guy, an honest guy,” he said. “It’s been pretty tough on all the family.”

He said he did not accept Pc Luck’s assessment of the victim’s actions before his death, which the officer based on “reasonable human behaviour” and the walking speed of an average middle-aged pedestrian.

“Mark wasn’t an average guy,” he said. “He was quite a tall guy, bigger than average, he had an eye for things because of his work, an eye for lifting, and they’re saying he couldn’t see when he was crossing the road.”